The Dark Secret Caught on a School Camera |A Legal Analysis of the Evidence

[00:00:00]He told the doctor like, "What do you do about all over body pain?"

[00:00:03]>> Mhm.

[00:00:04]>> I'm like, "What are you talking about?"

[00:00:05]>> Mhm.

[00:00:06]>> He goes, "Well, you know, just all over body pain. Like really it hurts here."

[00:00:10]Did Mr. Prophet touch you in any way that is not appropriate?

[00:00:17]>> Lately he been kind of having some hard time with Prophet.

[00:00:19]>> Okay.

[00:00:20]>> Him lately.

[00:00:21]>> What do you mean by hurt the school?

[00:00:22]>> Um says occasionally crazy statements. So, you know.

[00:00:27]>> Okay.

[00:00:27]>> And you know, he have to he want to shoot up >> Shoot up >> the school.

[00:00:31]>> I don't >> I don't think he's going to actually do it.

[00:00:33]>> Okay.

[00:00:34]No reaction.

[00:00:34]>> Was he doing that or was >> He is.

[00:00:37]>> Today I'm digging into a case that sits right at the intersection of child protection law, school governance, and the brutal reality that cameras do not blink. The focus is Dante Akim Prophet, the former principal of Destiny Leadership Academy in Ocala, Florida, and the May 2024 incident that exploded into public view after surveillance video surfaced and criminal charges followed.

[00:00:58]This matters right now because even after a July 2025 acquittal, the underlying legal questions did not go away. What is lawful discipline versus criminal abuse under Florida law? What duties fall on a private school when a child may be in danger? Who is a mandated reporter and what does that duty actually require in real time? I'm going to walk through this like a case file, not a rumor mill. We will separate what people feel from what prosecutors must prove and what institutions are obligated to do.

[00:01:24]Don't just watch the chaos, judge it.

[00:01:26]Subscribe to take your seat on the bench.

[00:01:28]Like this video if you'd find the defendant guilty, let's see the tally.

[00:01:32]>> How are you doing, sir? God bless you.

[00:01:35]>> How you doing? Do you know why I'm here?

[00:01:36]>> Yes, we had called because we just got a report that one of that our principal mishandled one of our kids today.

[00:01:45]>> Your principal did?

[00:01:46]>> Yes.

[00:01:47]>> Do you have a video of it?

[00:01:48]>> Yes. Yes, they do have a video of it.

[00:01:52]That's the executive principal right there.

[00:01:54]>> Yes.

[00:01:55]Uh we have a video of it, but the person who can pull it up is on their way and maybe about 30 minutes before they can get here.

[00:02:02]>> Are you the one that called 911?

[00:02:04]>> She called 911. She's our pastor. I'm the founder of She's the founder of the school and >> What jumps out at me is the institutional posture. They are calm and organized enough to greet deputies with ministry language, but somehow the school only learns about a serious restraint hours later. In Florida, a lot of school staff are mandated reporters under section 39.201 and delay is a legal problem. And knowing Prophet had his history, the oversight failure looks even worse.

[00:02:28]>> We haven't talked to the parent.

[00:02:30]>> The parent doesn't know?

[00:02:32]>> I don't know. We are not sure. She hasn't called her so we We haven't talked to them.

[00:02:36]>> When did you get find out about this?

[00:02:38]>> I found out about it about 6:00 or 7:00 this evening. The teacher called me.

[00:02:43]>> And that's And she came to the church and told me about it.

[00:02:46]>> And I told her we going to call the police sheriff department right now.

[00:02:49]>> Neither the child nor the principal himself are still on campus, leaving the police with only names and descriptions at this point.

[00:02:56]>> His name is Donnie Prophet.

[00:02:59]>> His last name is Prophet?

[00:03:00]>> Yes.

[00:03:02]>> [snorts] >> These people are just something.

[00:03:07]>> How old is the kid?

[00:03:08]>> I think he's like in the fifth grade.

[00:03:10]>> Do you know where it took place at?

[00:03:12]>> Um No, not the bathroom.

[00:03:16]>> She knows.

[00:03:19]>> Is this a school?

[00:03:21]>> Yes.

[00:03:21]>> Oh.

[00:03:21]>> This is school.

[00:03:24]I don't I you know I I didn't talk to uh Brother Prophet about it. I mean he's a a member of our church, too.

[00:03:31]>> Mhm.

[00:03:31]>> So I didn't talk to him. And I didn't call the parent yet.

[00:03:35]>> Hold on. The red flag here is loyalty language overriding basic safeguarding.

[00:03:40]In Florida, you do not get to wait and see if a parent calls when a child may have been battered. And misprision of a felony is usually federal and rarely charged, but obstruction or tampering questions can absolutely come up if people start insulating a suspect inside a tight church school network.

[00:03:54]>> In that video, what did you see?

[00:03:56]>> I saw the principal in severe physical confrontation with the student.

[00:04:03]>> And what did And what physical did you see?

[00:04:05]>> I saw um I saw him throw the kid on the floor at one point.

[00:04:11]>> And what do you mean by throw? Did he pick him up? Did he push him?

[00:04:14]>> I saw a sling.

[00:04:16]>> He slung him like that?

[00:04:17]>> Yes. And then at one point one point he was on top of the kid.

[00:04:21]>> As horrifying as these details sound, the deputy seems to wonder if something precipitated the confrontation.

[00:04:28]>> Did the kid do anything to invoke this to lead up to this?

[00:04:32]>> Oh.

[00:04:33]>> Did the kid strike him? Did he Was he Did they have problems in the past?

[00:04:37]>> They've had problems in the past.

[00:04:38]>> They've had problems in the past?

[00:04:39]>> They've been the best friends.

[00:04:40]>> So, this is an ongoing issue?

[00:04:42]>> I think so.

[00:04:43]>> Okay.

[00:04:44]>> [snorts] >> And is that >> But what led That's what I'm I'm trying to figure out what Did he was just in an anger rage, so he took it out on the kid?

[00:04:50]>> My understanding is that he called the kids in because they're the leaders and said that in order for you to graduate, you got to write a five-page essay.

[00:04:59]I think he said he was not going to do it. He didn't understand why they would have to do that. And so, the kid is in the video. He He put his head down on the desk.

[00:05:07]>> Mhm.

[00:05:08]>> And so, from that point, I think the principal is trying to make the kid do what he said.

[00:05:13]>> That witness description matters because prosecutors still have to fit it into a statute, not a vibe.

[00:05:18]In Florida, aggravated child abuse under section 827.03 turns on willful acts that cause great bodily harm or use cruel punishment. If the footage really shows prolonged pinning plus strikes, that is not classroom discipline. That is a criminal force case.

[00:05:32]>> But it sounds like a aggravated child abuse arrest.

[00:05:34]>> This sounds like a headlines case.

[00:05:37]Principal of Destiny Academy arrested for aggravated child abuse.

[00:05:40]>> This happened like 2:00 this afternoon.

[00:05:43]The kid went home.

[00:05:44]She told me he's lumped up pretty bad.

[00:05:46]The parent didn't see this?

[00:05:48]Parent didn't see the marks on this kid's face?

[00:05:51]That's what I'm That's a little That's a little weird. And then they waited till the secretary and the teacher waited till 30 minutes ago to finally tell them about, "Oh, yeah, by the way, you should know about this."

[00:06:00]>> The deputy has run Dante Profit's name through their system, but this standard scan returns a shocking result.

[00:06:08]>> Can you imagine he's a suspect?

[00:06:10]>> In another case?

[00:06:11]>> He was just got arrested last year.

[00:06:13]For what?

[00:06:14]Battery? He got arrested on a warrant last year.

[00:06:16]He got arrested on a warrant and he's facing charges.

[00:06:21]He arrested for a probation violation felony one count attempt to commit interfering with child custody.

[00:06:26]>> As stunning as this revelation is, the deputy soon realizes that he hasn't seen the worst of it.

[00:06:32]>> Lewd and lascivious molestation.

[00:06:33]>> You're joking.

[00:06:34]>> Swear.

[00:06:35]>> 10-15?

[00:06:36]>> Yeah.

[00:06:38]I bet they don't know that. I can't wait to tell them.

[00:06:40]>> Oh, wow. That database hit changes the entire risk picture. When deputies see a prior custody interference and probation history, they now have notice of a pattern, and that can shape bail arguments and child safety planning.

[00:06:51]And institutionally, it raises a brutal question. Florida private schools still have to vet employees, and ignoring red flags invites negligent hiring and retention exposure.

[00:07:00]>> Question.

[00:07:02]Do you guys do screening before you do a hiring process?

[00:07:06]>> We do.

[00:07:07]>> Yes, we do.

[00:07:07]>> You do you?

[00:07:08]>> Yes.

[00:07:09]>> Well, I just looked up Dante and >> Yes, I know. We never had.

[00:07:12]>> Do you know of his the serious charges that he has against him?

[00:07:16]>> He's been arrested twice in American County alone.

[00:07:18]>> One for molestation?

[00:07:20]>> We didn't check any other counties.

[00:07:21]>> what? Child molestation.

[00:07:23]>> Okay, that's the >> Yes, that was the accusation.

[00:07:25]>> Well, he got arrested for it.

[00:07:26]>> Yeah.

[00:07:27]>> And then the other one is interfering with child custody felony.

[00:07:31]>> Is what?

[00:07:31]>> Interference with child custody felony.

[00:07:35]>> What is that?

[00:07:36]>> Basically means that a parent or guardian said, "Give me my kid." And he said, "I'm not giving you kid.

[00:07:42]>> refused to give somebody's kids back.

[00:07:44]So that means he took somebody's kid or a kid went with him somewhere to his house or something and he refused to return the kid after the kid was put in missing. Someone a kid that's not his.

[00:07:52]>> Yeah, he's very protective.

[00:07:54]>> The he's very protective line is a neon warning sign. In child safety work that's classic grooming language used to reframe boundary violations as mentorship. Legally a custody interference history is not cute. It is a prior act that screams control and access. If leadership knew and spun it anyway, that's potential concealment and civil exposure.

[00:08:12]Under Florida's mandated reporter culture, this mindset gets kids hurt.

[00:08:16]>> I'm sure your parents don't want to find out that you got a >> Hello.

[00:08:20]>> guy principal at your school that has molestation charges and you refuse child back.

[00:08:25]>> A lot of them know him though.

[00:08:26]>> Okay, but that's >> Like personally?

[00:08:28]>> Yes.

[00:08:29]>> I got you. I mean, if I had a child and I found out my principal of my children's school >> Oh, yeah.

[00:08:34]>> I think I'd be freaking out.

[00:08:35]>> All right. He um he knows a lot of these kids very personally.

[00:08:42]This part I didn't know about it till the accusation came. But he mentored like teenage uh boys and stuff and helped them finish their their high school and helped them go to college.

[00:08:57]So you know all of that.

[00:08:59]>> The deputy's frustration is mounting, but it seems that school officials have already dealt with some of these concerns.

[00:09:06]>> That's the same thing that anybody can have access to if they go look at the same >> Right. They should be able to see that.

[00:09:11]Yeah.

[00:09:12]>> But it's only because a parent uh to have you know had mentioned it, but they were still because he had done such a good job last year, they were still willing to stand behind him and let them stand behind >> No problem.

[00:09:25]>> He was not on his meds. That's what I'm going to say.

[00:09:28]>> I didn't know he took meds.

[00:09:29]>> Yes, he does.

[00:09:30]>> What does he take meds for?

[00:09:32]>> Hyper whatever A.

[00:09:34]>> Oh, wait. ADHD?

[00:09:34]>> Yeah.

[00:09:35]>> Oh, okay. Well, yeah, ADHD. I'm not going to beat kids.

[00:09:39]Wait.

[00:09:40]>> you said?

[00:09:40]>> I said I got to get used to it. I'm not beating kids.

[00:09:43]>> That ADHD excuse makes my skin crawl because it is not just ignorant, it is strategically minimization. ADHD is not a violence diagnosis and it does not negate intent, which is what Florida child abuse statutes care about.

[00:09:55]And when staff start offering medical labels to soften a pattern, you are watching risk management, not child protection.

[00:10:01]The deputy pushing back is exactly the correct instinct.

[00:10:04]>> And the the owner and the head person here all know about his problems.

[00:10:10]And they're nervous as hell right now because they realize they know if when I watch this video and it shows what they're saying to me, I'm going to have to go arrest him.

[00:10:18]But my thing is they're saying the kid's all welted up and stuff like that. The teacher knew about it. The teacher didn't say jack until later tonight when she was confronted about it. Yeah, so I think it's it it was a little hush-hush job going on here.

[00:10:31]Because uh they have already admitted to me that a couple parents have been coming forward to them about, "Hey, what's up with this dude? We looked into him." And they're kind of like hushing them down like, "Oh, no, it's nothing." I think these people know that they're probably in for a lawsuit because they're acting real nervous.

[00:10:47]And like, "Oh, yeah, we we knew about his past, but uh the parents still loved him." I go, "Okay."

[00:10:52]>> Now we are in the part that makes prosecutors start circling names beyond the abuser. In Florida, if staff are hushing parents and delaying disclosure, you are flirting with witness tampering and obstruction concepts, even if it never gets charged. And with profits prior allegations already out there, this looks like negligent retention turning into active concealment, which is gasoline on the civil liability fire.

[00:11:12]>> The summer of 2017 while staying at the Royal Kids Camp where Profit was camp counselor.

[00:11:17]>> I think you're a child abuser.

[00:11:18]>> Yep.

[00:11:19]The only communication is from the camp allowing counselor to contact him if necessary. He said Profit contacted him for the first time.

[00:11:27]Kids himself and his nephew.

[00:11:30]>> According to the Ocala Police Department report, Dante gave letters to the child at the end of camp, writing in part, "You know that I love you and I always will."

[00:11:40]Dante kept in touch with the child over the coming months, inviting him to his apartment to watch a movie in November 2017.

[00:11:48]The report alleges that Dante laid down behind the minor on the couch and asked him, "Do you feel that?" when there was inappropriate contact.

[00:11:56]According to the report, both the victim and Dante were clothed at the time.

[00:12:00]>> Awesome.

[00:12:02]And he's not a registered sex offender?

[00:12:03]>> No, I think he was too young. I think it was fell in Romeo and Juliet.

[00:12:08]>> Oh, his age?

[00:12:08]>> Yeah.

[00:12:09]>> Oh.

[00:12:09]>> At the time he fell in a Romeo and Juliet, which just means he doesn't have to register sex offender.

[00:12:14]>> That 2017 camp narrative is classic grooming structure. Targeting a kid, isolating access, then testing boundaries in a way that sounds ambiguous on paper.

[00:12:23]Florida juries get hung up on that ambiguity.

[00:12:26]But for institutions doing hiring, the legal lens is different. Foreseeability and duty of care drive negligent hiring and retention. Civil court does not need proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

[00:12:35]>> Hey, you want me to talk to her?

[00:12:38]>> The sheriff wanted to talk to you.

[00:12:40]>> Hello, ma'am. How are you?

[00:12:42]>> Hello, sir. How you doing?

[00:12:43]>> Hey, do you mind bringing your son up here so we can talk to you guys? Cuz we're going to have to talk to him regardless.

[00:12:49]>> Honestly, um I'm just a little taken aback right now.

[00:12:53]I'm trying to get my bearings cuz I was almost asleep myself.

[00:12:57]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:12:59]>> So, I'm supposed to wake my son up and bring him out there?

[00:13:01]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:13:03]Have you noticed any uh bruising or lumps or anything on your son's face or body or anything?

[00:13:07]>> He felt like Mr. Prophet hit him with something. I said, "I don't know if they was horse playing."

[00:13:14]I don't know, but I'm like, "What are you talking about?" You know what I mean?

[00:13:17]>> The mom ultimately agrees to bring him up to the school, but as the deputy hands the pastor's phone back, he notices something alarming in her recent call history.

[00:13:26]>> All right.

[00:13:27]All right. I did. I called him by mistake.

[00:13:31]>> Did you call Donnie Profit?

[00:13:32]>> Yes, I did.

[00:13:33]>> Why?

[00:13:36]>> Why I called him?

[00:13:37]>> Yeah, don't Why'd you call him? Did you talk to him on the phone?

[00:13:39]>> No.

[00:13:40]>> Don't call him then.

[00:13:40]>> Don't call him. And if he calls you back, if he calls you back, don't tell him we're here. Don't tell him he's under investigation. Don't ask him about what happened.

[00:13:47]>> not call him, please.

[00:13:49]>> He These are very serious charges.

[00:13:52]>> Yeah, we want to get our ducks in a row before we talk to him and before he has a has time to put a story together in his head about what happened.

[00:13:58]>> Or or leave town.

[00:13:59]>> Yeah. This is the moment the case almost gets contaminated. When a school founder or pastor starts calling the target mid investigation, you are flirting with obstruction territory, even if your intent is just loyalty. In Florida, that can implicate witness tampering theories under section 914.22.

[00:14:14]Credit to the deputy for locking it down fast before stories synchronize.

[00:14:19]>> Ma'am.

[00:14:20]>> Yes, my lord.

[00:14:21]>> Oh, okay.

[00:14:22]>> So, she just called my office.

[00:14:25]>> Oh, she called him twice. And I saw that it wasn't a missed call either. It was an answer cuz I saw the seconds next to it.

[00:14:30]>> Did you?

[00:14:31]>> Yeah.

[00:14:33]She probably called him and warned him.

[00:14:35]>> Have you tried to call Donnie?

[00:14:37]>> I possibly did.

[00:14:38]>> I know. Did you?

[00:14:40]Yeah. Did she talk to him?

[00:14:42]>> No, he didn't answer.

[00:14:43]>> Okay, good.

[00:14:45]Yeah, we can't have people calling.

[00:14:47]>> I >> So, we can't have people calling him.

[00:14:49]>> You don't want people calling him, is that what >> No, that makes She's got a history of running.

[00:14:53]>> You can feel the panic in that room. The deputy is treating phone logs like evidence because they are.

[00:14:58]Once you start coordinating with the suspect, you risk creating consciousness of guilt arguments and you hand the defense a contamination narrative. And with Profit's documented history of prior allegations and that earlier custody interference conviction, this school had every reason to go into preservation mode, not protection mode.

[00:15:13]>> So, what happened today, man?

[00:15:16]What happened between you and Mr. Mr. Profit?

[00:15:19]>> The boy begins with a story that matches what Dr. V said earlier. He was pulled from class along with a few other fifth-grade boys. Soon enough, however, the other boys were sent away and he was left alone in the room with the principal.

[00:15:32]>> I didn't want to be alone at the time.

[00:15:35]So, I couldn't even excuse myself because he wouldn't even let me go through the door.

[00:15:42]>> Did he ever throw you on the ground?

[00:15:44]>> He did hit me on the ground.

[00:15:45]>> He did hit you? What >> And I don't think like that.

[00:15:48]>> Where did he hit you?

[00:15:51]>> Well, but the thing that hurts the most is the side of my >> Can I see your hip?

[00:15:57]>> Yeah, right here.

[00:15:59]I guess right here.

[00:16:00]>> me it.

[00:16:01]You're okay.

[00:16:02]>> You're also I got you. I'm right here.

[00:16:03]Go ahead.

[00:16:04]>> Right there.

[00:16:04]>> Here, show me something.

[00:16:05]>> you to see.

[00:16:06]>> He wants to see.

[00:16:07]>> It was like a line, a big line bump.

[00:16:10]And she was like >> see.

[00:16:12]>> It looked like you got hit hard.

[00:16:14]>> Mhm.

[00:16:14]>> Oh, that probably is the proper hit me with that um computer cord thing.

[00:16:19]>> Yeah.

[00:16:19]>> The child's mother says that she first heard something about the altercation during a doctor's appointment this afternoon.

[00:16:25]>> He told the doctor like, "What do you do about all over body pain?"

[00:16:28]>> Mhm.

[00:16:29]>> I'm like, "What are you talking about?"

[00:16:30]>> Mhm.

[00:16:31]>> You know, he just well, you know, just all over body pain. Like, really it hurts here.

[00:16:35]>> He hurt his hips?

[00:16:36]>> Yeah, he said it hurt his hip.

[00:16:38]>> He told the doctor that?

[00:16:39]>> He told the doctor on the television. He said he said >> a televise?

[00:16:42]>> Yeah, it was a televise. He She was like, I said, "Well, maybe it's growing pains, you know, cuz he's getting tall."

[00:16:48]>> Do you have anything else to tell us, buddy? Did he Did he touch you?

[00:16:51]>> Listen to me. Watch me. Look at mama.

[00:16:53]You are safe.

[00:16:54]>> Mhm. Oh, I'm going to I'm I'm going to I'll make sure that, Bubba. I promise you that.

[00:16:59]>> And I will protect you with everything.

[00:17:01]If there's something you need to say, you need to say it. We will take it and we will do what we have to do to make sure everything is right, okay? Did Mr. Prophet touch you in any way that is not appropriate.

[00:17:18]>> No.

[00:17:19]>> Are you sure?

[00:17:21]>> Yes, sir.

[00:17:22]>> That kid is describing pain like an adult because he has had to. And legally, this is where video becomes a double-edged sword. Jurors trust cameras, but defense lawyers reframe it as discipline under Florida's parental discipline style doctrine. The stunning part is he was acquitted in 2025 despite footage. That tells you how high the criminal burden is and why civil accountability often follows.

[00:17:41]>> Is the video on your laptop?

[00:17:42]>> Yes, sir.

[00:17:45]>> Multiple?

[00:17:45]>> No, not today.

[00:17:47]>> Okay.

[00:17:49]>> You know what you need >> You need to know >> Go on. Okay, so >> The video begins with Dante sitting across from the boy who has his head down on the desk. The principal gets up and walks over to the boy and begins prodding him, perhaps in an attempt to get his attention. But it isn't long before these antagonizing taunts spiral into something much more chaotic. And the situation soon escalates from chair wrestling into a full-fledged struggle for control.

[00:18:18]The child is clearly desperate to escape the principal's grasp, but Dante is equally determined to keep the boy under his power.

[00:18:25]In an almost unbelievable scene, Dante wrestles the boy to the floor and straddles him.

[00:18:31]But even after getting the boy under his control, Dante continues to behave in a way that alarms the deputy.

[00:18:37]>> Why is he patting him like that?

[00:18:41]>> Why is he what?

[00:18:42]>> Patting him like that.

[00:18:43]>> He's rubbing his lower back.

[00:18:45]>> What the hell is he doing?

[00:18:47]>> Well, makes sense for his little charge.

[00:18:50]Chokehold.

[00:18:52]I broke out of a chokehold. He's trying to give me a chokehold.

[00:18:55]You should probably watch this.

[00:18:57]>> Sorry?

[00:18:57]>> I said you probably should watch this.

[00:18:59]Man, this is serious. See what kind of guy you got working around your kids.

[00:19:03]>> Remarkably, the altercation is interrupted several times over the course of the video.

[00:19:07]>> You have to see where he's That kid is being aggressive. The kid didn't have a chance. He's wrestling. Man, I >> Saints >> Let's see your notes with their info.

[00:19:17]>> Now, who's this kid?

[00:19:19]>> That's one of her kids and what did she go in for?

[00:19:22]>> No idea.

[00:19:24]>> Did she say anything?

[00:19:25]>> know.

[00:19:26]>> He probably told her to go home.

[00:19:29]>> At one point, the boy sees an opportunity to escape that he can't pass up leading to one of the video's most shocking moments.

[00:19:36]>> Look at that. Look at that. Look at that. Oh, there it is.

[00:19:39]He tried to leave and he just threw him on the ground.

[00:19:42]>> Back that up on him.

[00:19:43]>> I mean, that's >> Back that up on him.

[00:19:44]>> false imprisonment.

[00:19:46]>> But although the visuals from the video are hard to watch, they aren't compelling for everyone in the room.

[00:19:51]>> So, you don't think he was playing with him?

[00:19:55]>> Playing?

[00:19:56]Oh, no, ma'am. He's going to jail tonight.

[00:19:59]>> It was over an hour.

[00:20:01]>> At times, Dante's movements are slow and methodical and the camera catches it when he slings a computer cord of some kind at the boy several times. The child later said that it was this cord that caused the visible mark on his face.

[00:20:17]>> I think we got him.

[00:20:18]>> But for as much as the deputies have already seen, the video doesn't end there and the horror of the ongoing bullying leaves the women nearly speechless.

[00:20:28]>> Fear wouldn't have called that they were so afraid and this definite fear of him.

[00:20:32]He He has snapped.

[00:20:34]>> Yes.

[00:20:35]>> No reality.

[00:20:36]>> Yes. Do not know.

[00:20:38]>> No reality.

[00:20:39]>> What's he doing to the little boy?

[00:20:41]>> He has snapped.

[00:20:42]None.

[00:20:44]He has snapped. He It's all a lie.

[00:20:48]>> You see him trying to get away.

[00:20:50]>> That's all he wanted was to get away.

[00:20:52]>> That's when he just hit him in the face where he just smacked him in the face.

[00:20:55]>> With that?

[00:20:56]>> Mhm.

[00:20:57]>> No.

[00:20:59]>> At times, the confrontation devolves into intense physical conflict and Dante is the relentless aggressor.

[00:21:05]>> Search him. Try and twist his ankle. Sit him on the >> Oh, he That he needed >> on >> He just kneeled on him?

[00:21:10]>> He kneeled on him.

[00:21:12]He kneeled on him.

[00:21:13]Oh my word. He had him by his leg and he kneeled on him.

[00:21:17]>> Oh, because there was a point where I tried to walk in and I couldn't get in.

[00:21:22]>> Oh, he locked you from coming in?

[00:21:23]>> he was sitting in front of the door.

[00:21:27]Yeah, yes, he's still >> I cannot get past how prolonged and deliberate that control looks. In Florida, a school employee does not get the same leeway a parent might claim because corporal punishment is tightly bounded and many private schools ban it outright. Once you see welts and a cord used like a whip, you are in felony territory under Florida statute 827.03.

[00:21:48]That acquittal is a gut punch for every mandated reporter watching.

[00:21:51]>> I don't know what he's trying to hide.

[00:21:54]>> No.

[00:21:54]>> But, she seems like she has something going on with Donnie about >> What?

[00:21:59]>> The >> Well, that's his pastor, you know, so >> Donnie don't got a good past. I'll tell you that much.

[00:22:05]>> Mhm.

[00:22:06]>> And he shouldn't be around kids.

[00:22:08]>> I think she just she's in disbelief because honestly >> that's what it is.

[00:22:12]>> She called you guys before she seen the video.

[00:22:14]>> you. Well, I'm going to be honest with you.

[00:22:16]Knowing his past, I'm not shocked.

[00:22:18]>> Okay.

[00:22:19]>> Yeah.

[00:22:20]>> And he shouldn't be around kids at all.

[00:22:21]>> No.

[00:22:22]>> Cuz he's got a nasty little past.

[00:22:24]>> I hear her now. She was talking about how upset and giddy it is because in her eyes he's an upstanding person.

[00:22:31]>> Yeah, I'm going to disagree, but >> Yeah, I'm pretty sure she does, too.

[00:22:36]Now, >> All told, the video of the altercation goes on for more than 53 minutes. A shocking length of time for any violent encounter, much less one between a principal and a student.

[00:22:47]Making matters worse, the school secretary says that he's the last kid anyone would expect trouble from.

[00:22:53]>> He's the super intelligent probably the smartest kid >> Smarter than me.

[00:22:57]>> probably the least the principal in the world.

[00:23:01]>> What's up?

[00:23:01]>> The year was 1992.

[00:23:03]>> Listen to how fast the adults pivot to talking about his past once the video is real.

[00:23:08]That is the institutional failure in a nutshell. If a 53-minute restraint is on tape, then the next legal move is not gossip. It is preserving DVR logs and identifying every adult who saw it. In Florida, spoliation can bury a case even when the assault is clear.

[00:23:22]>> I don't know what you guys are going to do in-house wise, but I'm going to go find him and I'm taking him to jail for aggravated child abuse.

[00:23:30]Okay, it's a second-degree felony in the state and he won't get a bond.

[00:23:34]>> So, what you mean? You don't know what we going to do?

[00:23:36]>> No, no, no, no, no, I'm saying I don't I don't know what you guys are doing in-house wise, firing him, get rid of him, whatever you guys are doing.

[00:23:42]I'm saying on my end, I'm taking him to jail tonight.

[00:23:45]>> Oh, he's not It's no way that he can be here.

[00:23:48]>> Yeah. I agree.

[00:23:50]>> No, but you'll be able to think about that.

[00:23:53]>> Of course, the main obstacle now will be finding Dante Profit, challenge he'll have to face without the help of Destiny's founder.

[00:24:00]>> Does anybody know where he lives?

[00:24:04]Pastor, do you know where he lives?

[00:24:05]>> No.

[00:24:07]I don't get into people's personal business.

[00:24:09]>> Okay.

[00:24:10]>> The deputy knows that he may still have a long night ahead of him, but he takes the time to check with one last person before he leaves.

[00:24:17]>> Is there anything else you need to tell me about this?

[00:24:20]>> I'm sure you know.

[00:24:24]>> I'm sorry this happened to you, man. All right.

[00:24:26]I'm I'm going to do my best to get him, okay?

[00:24:28]You take care of this, okay? You're a good kid, man. You're a strong kid. All right. Look at me. Look at me.

[00:24:33]You did nothing wrong, okay?

[00:24:35]>> Okay.

[00:24:36]>> All right.

[00:24:36]>> That deputy is doing exactly what the Fourth Amendment permits when he has probable cause and a clear felony on video. Arrest first, then litigate later. What bothers me is the pastor playing coy on where Profit lives. Even if that is technically not a crime, it is the kind of institutional distancing that lets suspects disappear.

[00:24:52]And the way the deputy talks to that kid is trauma-informed policing done right.

[00:24:57]>> Hey, where you at, buddy? We got to talk.

[00:24:59]>> We have to We have to talk.

[00:25:01]>> Yes, sir.

[00:25:02]>> What do you have to talk about?

[00:25:03]>> Well, we can talk about that in person.

[00:25:06]>> No, let's talk now.

[00:25:07]>> Did you have an incident with another child today at school?

[00:25:10]>> Like what type of incident? No.

[00:25:12]>> I Did you I'm just That's why I'm asking, sir. I mean, I'm not I'm not I'm not trying to ask you pointed and direct the questions here. I mean, did you have an incident with a a student today at at Destiny?

[00:25:23]>> I did not.

[00:25:24]>> Okay.

[00:25:25]Well, where are you at now? So, I I got to talk to you, Bubba.

[00:25:28]>> No, you don't have to contact my lawyer.

[00:25:32]>> Having failed to convince Dante to meet voluntarily, the cops head out to the address they have on file for him.

[00:25:38]>> How you doing? Is there a Dante Profit here?

[00:25:40]>> No, sir.

[00:25:40]>> Where is he at?

[00:25:42]>> We haven't seen him.

[00:25:43]>> We haven't seen him?

[00:25:44]>> No, sir.

[00:25:44]>> So, he's not here at all?

[00:25:46]>> No, he hasn't been staying here. What What?

[00:25:48]>> Yeah, he did some not good things today, and he's running from us, so.

[00:25:53]All right. Well, I appreciate it.

[00:25:54]>> No, sir.

[00:25:55]>> Thank you.

[00:25:55]>> What you're watching is classic consciousness of guilt evidence. Not proof by itself, but juries hear flight, and they infer you knew you were in trouble.

[00:26:02]Legally, the deputies do not need his permission to talk once they've got probable cause from surveillance. At that point, it's warrants, pick-up orders, and a second-degree felony posture where judges can lawfully hold him or set high conditions under Florida's pre-trial detention rules.

[00:26:16]>> He wanted to hurt himself, hurt me, you know.

[00:26:21]>> Excuse me, statements.

[00:26:23]>> Yeah, he can't hurt hurt me, hurt himself.

[00:26:26]>> So, why would he say something like that?

[00:26:27]>> Um hurt the school because lately he's been kind of having some hard time with classes.

[00:26:32]>> Okay.

[00:26:33]>> Been having lately.

[00:26:34]>> What do you mean by hurt the school?

[00:26:35]>> Um just occasionally crazy statements. So, you know.

[00:26:40]>> Okay.

[00:26:41]>> And you know, he had said that he wanted to shoot up the school. He wanted to blow up the school. I don't I don't think he's going to actually do it.

[00:26:46]>> Okay, but those are the statements he made to you today?

[00:26:48]>> Yeah. He said he was going to um run out the classroom, and one time I had to grab him and stop him from running out of the gate because of traffic. Okay. That's what he said he was going to do.

[00:27:00]>> Were you trying to prevent him from running out?

[00:27:01]>> Oh, 100%.

[00:27:02]>> What did you do? How did you try to prevent him?

[00:27:06]>> I I think I grabbed him. Used a force.

[00:27:11]>> Okay.

[00:27:13]>> He After that he he spit He did spit on me, but >> Oh, he spit on you. Where did he spit on you at?

[00:27:18]>> In my face.

[00:27:19]>> Okay. By grabbing him. What do you mean you grabbed him?

[00:27:23]>> What do you mean?

[00:27:25]What do you mean that I grabbed him? I thought I was >> Did you grab his arm, his leg, his hand?

[00:27:29]>> I I probably did all of that to restrain him. To restrain >> trying to restrain him?

[00:27:33]>> I want to keep him safe.

[00:27:34]>> And there it is, the pivot to the made-up danger story. When a suspect suddenly manufactures a school shooting threat and self-harm narrative, prosecutors treat that as a false exculpatory statement. It is admissible to show intent and consciousness of wrongdoing. Florida juries are instructed they can consider lies as evidence of guilt. See standard jury instructions 3.9, open parenthesis A, close parenthesis.

[00:27:54]>> So, you're telling me this and I've talked to everybody else at the school there today.

[00:27:57]>> Yeah.

[00:27:58]>> Everybody. And they all told me the same story about him. Very smart, very intellectual.

[00:28:02]>> very intellectual.

[00:28:04]>> Not one of them ever mentioned to me ever about him ever making statements before.

[00:28:09]>> I I I I I I I I I I I I >> I didn't.

[00:28:12]They all denied it. They all said that he's never cuz those are the type of questions I ask. I say, "Hey, is he a misbehaved kid? Does he misbehave at all? In general? Does he cause problems?" They said, "No."

[00:28:22]>> If Dante still feels that he may have a chance to talk his way out of this dilemma, the deputy soon closes the door on that possibility.

[00:28:30]>> So, I don't know if you know this or not, but there's a security camera in that room.

[00:28:33]>> There is?

[00:28:34]>> Yeah, and it caught everything on camera.

[00:28:36]Everything. Especially when you had his head down and you came up and started grabbing him on the legs and poking him and grabbing him in the chest. When he wasn't talking at all.

[00:28:44]His head was just down. You approached him.

[00:28:47]So, why did why did you do that?

[00:28:49]>> If you had the time when I'm talking I'm not hurting him. I'm trying to get his attention. He said he was going to hurt you.

[00:28:54]>> But you're touching him.

[00:28:56]>> I'm not hurting him at that time.

[00:28:58]>> But you're touching him.

[00:28:59]>> I want to get his attention.

[00:29:00]>> Okay, but are you allowed to touch somebody without their permission?

[00:29:04]>> If I'm not hurting him I don't think so.

[00:29:05]>> No.

[00:29:06]>> That camera reveal is the interrogation end game because it kills plausible deniability without the deputy having to argue.

[00:29:12]And notice the suspect drifting into a pseudo consent defense. In Florida a child cannot consent to being restrained or struck by a school employee. This is why video evidence drives charging decisions and why defense lawyers often pivot to discipline under section 827.03.

[00:29:27]>> I want to bring you right back.

[00:29:30]So, I'm going to ask you some questions.

[00:29:31]>> Yes.

[00:29:31]>> I will be charging you.

[00:29:36]I don't believe that you're trying to stop him for the hour and 15 minutes that that video was recorded. Okay.

[00:29:42]By you kneeing him in the head with the welt on the side of his head, from hitting him with a the cable the cable from the the computer.

[00:29:49]>> I did not knee him.

[00:29:50]>> You didn't knee him?

[00:29:51]>> I didn't say in the head.

[00:29:53]>> Knee him. What about when you got him in an ankle lock or in a chokehold?

[00:29:57]None of that?

[00:29:58]>> There's no proof.

[00:29:59]>> Okay. You'll have your day in court, sir.

[00:30:02]So, I just want to let you know that is some of the best surveillance video footage I've ever seen in my life.

[00:30:09]Sir, you're probably fired too from your job, by the way.

[00:30:11]>> Yeah.

[00:30:12]>> What sits with me after that is the gap between evidence and accountability. A jury can acquit and still leave every mandated reporter and every parent with the same hard lesson. Criminal court is beyond a reasonable doubt, not a moral referendum. The real aftermath is civil exposure and policy reform. Don't just watch the chaos, judge it. Subscribe.

[00:30:30]And like this video if you'd find the defendant guilty. Let's see the tally.